Unfortunately, he himself was indeed very capable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to maintain such a delicate balance of power during his time.
However, after his death, the chaotic era of the Spring and Autumn period began because his descendants could neither balance the political situation nor maintain control over it.
The current Mausoleum was also built under a secret decree issued by King Ping of Zhou when he felt his death was approaching. He ordered his most loyal followers to bring him here for a secret burial.
To ensure the burial site wouldn’t be exposed afterward, after arranging all of King Ping of Zhou’s commands, along with the funeral rituals and all burial objects, all the loyal followers poisoned themselves immediately after sealing the tomb chamber. They chose to accompany their monarch, whom they had followed their entire lives, on this final journey, ensuring he wouldn’t be too isolated and helpless in the afterlife.
Reading this, Qiu Yunzheng felt a rare sense of admiration for this historically controversial King Ping of Zhou.
“So that’s how it was. When I previously read historical records about King Ping of Zhou, they didn’t seem to match up. If he were just a puppet emperor with no power or ambition, how could he have lived peacefully for 51 years under those circumstances?”Bai Lishen had also finished reading the inscription by this point and couldn’t help but sigh in emotion.”
“Let’s head to the central area to see this emperor who concealed the truth of history.”
Qiu Yunzheng was now filled with ambition because she wanted to see the Tomb of this emperor who had maintained his act for so long—a thousand years, in fact.
The group proceeded smoothly without any obstacles because any Mechanisms they encountered were quickly resolved by Gu Hanfeng and the others. They picked up their pace since they had been down there for quite some time.
When they reached the central tomb chamber and entered, they were met with a breathtaking scene.
In the very center of the chamber was a massive, square coffin. Surrounding it were evenly spaced Terracotta Figures of maidens, along with various decorations and Burial Objects.
But what was truly shocking was the rows upon rows of skeletal soldiers in armor, kneeling neatly in front of the coffin.
“These… these are those loyal followers who committed suicide? So they’re here!Qiu Yunzheng exclaimed in shock, as the scene was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring. Even after a thousand years, witnessing it was still astonishing—not in fear, but in shock.
The rows of soldiers kneeling on the ground weren’t just numerous; there were hundreds of them. Each soldier was perfectly aligned, using their weapons to support themselves from falling, determined not to collapse even in death. They remained upright and orderly, guarding their monarch without a hint of disarray.
Because any disorder would be a sign of disrespect toward their ruler.
It was only now that Qiu Yunzheng realized that the ideology of loyalty to the monarch wasn’t just empty words—the ancients engraved this belief into their bones and souls.
Perhaps from the perspective of modern people like them, such a mindset is incomprehensible, and the act of dying for a monarch seems bizarre and backward.
However, only when you truly experience such a scene can you understand that even if we cannot comprehend it, we can still feel the emotional sentiments of ancient people from a thousand years ago.
In the eyes of these loyal followers, their ruler could not leave his achievements for future generations to hear of, and even his funeral had to be conducted quietly for the sake of peaceful rest—not only without descendants paying respects but also in such a desolate place.
So, let them, the ruler’s most devoted subordinates, accompany him—accompany him on that lonely journey to the Yellow Springs.
If there are dangers on the path to the Yellow Springs, let them pave the way and eliminate those dangers for their ruler.
“I don’t know how to evaluate such emotions and actions, but they have somewhat cleared King Ping of Zhou’s reputation in history, haven’t they?”
Bai Lishen sighed softly and spoke.
“Perhaps, perhaps King Ping of Zhou didn’t even care himself?”
Qiu Yunzheng murmured to herself. Indeed, if King Ping of Zhou truly cared about his reputation, given his abilities, he could have easily found a way to clear his name.
But he didn’t choose to do so, only wishing to be buried quietly and peacefully here.
Qiu Yunzheng even began to doubt whether such a ruler would truly force so many people to be buried with him. Because she sensed that King Ping of Zhou didn’t care about his reputation or so-called posthumous affairs.
He simply wanted to find a place undisturbed by others, where he could pass away peacefully.
Qiu Yunzheng recalled what she had just seen on the stele: the ruler instructed his loyal followers to bring him here for burial, and once the sealing stone was closed, they were free to return home—as long as they kept the location a secret.
Yet, upon seeing the skeletons of these loyal followers kneeling beside King Ping of Zhou’s coffin, Qiu Yunzheng was momentarily at a loss for words.
But this was history from a thousand years ago—they had no way to verify it and could only infer bits and pieces from the existing stele.
“Wow, Host, ancient emperors were so terrifying! Dying is one thing, but dragging so many people to be buried with them? Even their own soldiers committed suicide to accompany him. Could they have been threatened?”
288 exclaimed while reviewing the nearly completed video collection.
“Probably not. These loyal followers likely volunteered to follow their ruler. Are the remaining burial object chambers dangerous? Do we need to investigate further?”
Qiu Yunzheng paid little attention to 288’s words. She found that ignoring some of 288’s remarks was the best approach to avoid frustrating herself.
“Almost done. The chambers further inside store the funerary objects. 288 can scan them all. The remaining areas aren’t particularly dangerous. Aside from the sacrificial pit and the front hall, the other sections are relatively safe—and you’ve already dismantled most of the hazards earlier.”
288 cheerfully reported, watching the progress bar on the System interface reach 90%.
Qiu Yunzheng didn’t respond. She tugged at Gu Hanfeng’s sleeve and pointed toward the tomb door on the other side of the central chamber.
They had been down there for several hours, and since they couldn’t remove their protective masks to drink water, she wasn’t in the mood to talk.
Gu Hanfeng didn’t react overtly to Qiu Yunzheng’s gesture, but he understood her meaning well enough.
“Let’s pass through this area quickly and head to the rear tomb chamber. We’ve been down here too long, the location is too deep, and the signal is intermittent. For safety’s sake, we’ll make this quick.”
“Yes, General Gu.”
The soldiers immediately followed orders. Bai Lishen, who had been thinking about staying longer to observe, also felt his throat drying and body tiring, so he didn’t delay either.
As they passed through the central tomb chamber, the group swiftly investigated each room according to Qiu Yunzheng’s directions, simultaneously destroying all harmful mechanisms along the way.
[Ding! Material collection complete. Mission accomplished. Rewards will be distributed after data retrieval is complete. Please wait patiently: 5:00:00]